Which fracture type means the bone is broken but the skin remains intact?

Which fracture type means the bone is broken but the skin remains intact?

• A. Transverse Fracture
• B. Closed/Simple Fracture
• C. Bone Spur
• D. Open/Compound Fracture

Answer: (A)

Fracture descriptions hinge on two ideas: whether the skin over the fracture is intact and the pattern of the break. When the skin remains unbroken, that fracture is described as closed or simple. If the skin is torn or the bone pokes through, it’s an open or compound fracture, which carries a higher risk of infection. The term transverse refers to the direction of the break across the bone, not to the skin status. A bone spur is not a fracture type at all—it’s a bony outgrowth. So the situation described—bone broken with skin intact—is best called a closed (simple) fracture.

Fracture descriptions hinge on two ideas: whether the skin over the fracture is intact and the pattern of the break. When the skin remains unbroken, that fracture is described as closed or simple. If the skin is torn or the bone pokes through, it’s an open or compound fracture, which carries a higher risk of infection. The term transverse refers to the direction of the break across the bone, not to the skin status. A bone spur is not a fracture type at all—it’s a bony outgrowth. So the situation described—bone broken with skin intact—is best called a closed (simple) fracture.